The upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto VI is highly anticipated, but its PC version might arrive sooner than expected due to concerns over artificial intelligence replicating the game. Obbe Vermeij, a former technical director at Rockstar who worked on Grand Theft Auto III, expressed worries that AI could be used to create unauthorized PC ports, potentially impacting Rockstar's sales.

"I would be concerned if I was Rockstar," Vermeij stated in an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun. "Somebody would just take the PS5 version and get AI to change it to PC, which won’t be as good as their effort, but it could still also hurt their sales."

Vermeij noted that Rockstar has historically prioritized console development, a strategy that began with Grand Theft Auto III on PlayStation 2 to avoid the compromises often required when porting from PC. This approach proved successful, contributing to the series' immense popularity.

However, the proliferation of AI in game decompilation and modification presents a new challenge. AI tools have become adept at disassembling and reassembling game code, leading to a surge in AI-generated content on platforms like Steam and impacting existing modding communities. Vermeij believes this capability directly threatens major publishers, whose game catalogs are vulnerable to such AI-driven alterations.

"A big company like Take-Two, they would be able to get the lawyers on the case," Vermeij said. "It’s a brave new world. What was the case before, is that there’s so much effort in developing the game, that it is not possible to rip it off, and that’s completely changed now."

While Vermeij does not anticipate AI-generated ports of GTA VI to match Rockstar's quality standards, he suggests the threat could accelerate Rockstar's own PC release schedule. He is not opposed to AI technology, utilizing it in his own projects, but acknowledges the changing landscape for game development and distribution. This potential shift in release strategy comes after Grand Theft Auto VI has already faced significant disruption from high-profile leaks.